Spaying is a highly recommended surgery for cats at home. But the road to recovery after spaying is not easy at all. Although the veterinarian will inform you about everything, maintaining all the steps will be crucial. Keeping the cat cone after spay is one of those important steps.
The cone, often called e-collar, is a must-follow step. It doesn’t matter how young or fragile your cat is; you must keep the cone for at least 12-14 days.
In this article, we will see how long to keep the cone on cat after spaying with particular attention to post-sterilization care.
What Is The Spaying Or Sterilization Of Cats?
To sterilize an animal is to make it infertile, without the ability to reproduce.
In the male cat case, sterilizing is cutting the spermatic passages, which would be performing a vasectomy on the cat.
The female cat’s sterilization involves cutting the oviducts, i.e., perform a tubal ligation on the cat. This process is called spaying.
But what differences are there between spaying and neutering a cat?
To our surprise, we have found three very different ways to use these terms:
- Some claim that neutering can only be done to the male cat and that spaying on the female cat (not being able to interchange the concepts).
- Others assure that what is done to the male cat and the female cat is to castrate. It is an act of removing sexual organs, and the effect of this is to leave it sterile.
- And the one that seems most appropriate to us is to define castration as the extraction of sexual organs from male cats and female cats, and spaying is only to remove the reproductive capacity of cats of both sexes (without the need for castration).
Why Spaying The Cat?
Sterilization of the cat is necessary for various reasons:
- In case she has access to the outside, she will remain pregnant and will have a litter approximately twice a year.
- With mating also risks contracting infectious diseases such as FIV and FeLV.
- Prevention of reproductive system diseases.
- The manifestations of heat in the cat can be a source of concern for the owner. The animal eats less, shows great agitation, constantly meows, and rubs on anything. The heat in the cat, unlike the bitch, does not occur twice a year. But suppose it is not possible to mate. In that case, it occurs continuously with pauses of a few days between one heat and another.
Pros and cons:
When it comes to the spaying of the cat, there are no obvious or relevant indications. Rather it is useful.
- To prevent the proliferation of strays and feline colonies,
- To prevent the cat from showing continuous discomfort in the behavioral manifestations of heat,
- Finally, to protect it from diseases sexually transmitted infections.
When to Spay the Cat? Before Or After the First Heat?
To avoid the inconvenience of making her go into heat, most decide to sterilize the cat before the first heat. That is, at the age of about 6 months. Unfortunately, some kittens anticipate this date by going into heat at 5 months, but they are exceptions.
The age for sterilizing a cat is therefore around 6-7 months. It is good to avoid having a surgical procedure on a cat that is still very small in size. However, it is not wrong to wait for the first heat to promote sexual development. This certainly has benefits related to complete physical and cognitive maturation.
What Should You Know Before Spaying Your Cat?
Spaying of a cat is a highly demanded operation that you can arrange at your usual veterinary clinic. Females have their ovaries and uterus removed. However, the ovaries can also be removed while maintaining the uterus, a less invasive practice that takes less time.
Males have their testicles removed. This eliminates sperm production and the hormones responsible for sexual behavior.
Your veterinarian will indicate the steps to follow before the operation. Before the intervention, he will do a general check-up to make sure that your cat is completely healthy. Your cat will have to stay several hours without eating and drinking. Depending on your cat’s age and weight, they may be more or less, your vet will tell you.
Cat Recovery after Spaying: Care of the Female Cat after Spaying
Spaying is a different intervention depending on whether it is a male cat or a female. Depending on the sex of the cat, special care must be reserved after neutering.
The spaying operation of female cats is more complex and invasive: the operation involves the removal of the ovaries and, in some cases, also of the uterus. This makes it necessary to cut the abdomen under total anesthesia.
Following the operation, the veterinarian will prescribe an analgesic drug therapy. You need to continue them at home during the days of convalescence. Therefore, the administration of drugs to the cat is, the first aspect to consider in post sterilization care.
Do not let her move:
Immediately after the sterilization procedure, the cat needs to be calm and recover from the effects of anesthesia. Once the cat has been brought home, it must be left in a quiet room, with doors and windows closed. And without obstacles, place the bowl close to it.
In the following days of spaying, it is essential to avoid that the cat moves too much. Don’t let her play too lively games with runs and jumps.
Keep other animals away:
You must pay attention to the sutures. Make sure that it does not lick or scratch itself near the surgical wound. Also, if you have other cats or animals in the house, let’s keep them separate.
Follow hygienic rules:
To protect the wound and take care of it, it is important to follow specific hygiene rules.
Food and nutrition:
As for nutrition, follow the diet by the vet. It is important that the cat can count on a healthy and light diet in the weeks immediately following neutering. Later, once the convalescence is over, give her the best nutrition to prevent the cat from gaining too much weight.
How long do stitches stay in after spaying a cat?
In general, the animal recovers from anesthesia 24 to 36 hours after the intervention and its aftereffect 10 days later. Likewise, the stitches are removed after 10 to 15 days. So it is best to keep them at rest or with very moderate activity to promote the healing process.
In females’ case, the muscle injury resulting from the operation takes up to two months to reestablish. But after two weeks their level of exercise can gradually increase. For its part, sterilization of cats is usually very simple, so they can be fully recovered in 24 to 48 hours.
To keep the surgical area dry and clean, take useful precautions. Cover the affected area with clean, sterile gauze. Take care to disinfect the cat’s wound every day, making sure to wear sterile gloves before proceeding.
How Long To Keep Cone On Cat After Spaying?
Generally, the cone is intended to prevent access to the wound or to a dressing. This cone is intended to preventing any licking or biting of the lesion. An animal that feels itching or pain will, in fact, naturally seek to relieve itself by licking or scratching itself. She will not worry that this could be harmful.
However, these actions can hinder or even prevent healing. Contrary to a very widespread idea, the saliva of a cat has no antiseptic properties. In fact, this is quite the contrary! Saliva is an environment in which many bacteria live that can cause the superinfection of a wound.
In the week following the operation, it is important to carefully avoid that the cat can lick the surgical wound. Usually, the veterinarian recommends that the cat wear a special Elizabethan collar.
This collar or cone is a crucial part of kitten spay recovery. It is recommended that the cone should stay as long as the stitches are not recovered. So, the cone should be kept approx 14 days after spaying.
How to put the cone:
If your cat usually already wears a collar, your best bet is to attach the cone to that collar. Alternatively, a fairly large fabric tie can be used to secure the yoke to the cat’s neck. It is better to avoid too thin strings and threads that could cut the skin.
Care should be taken to adjust the link or collar ideally. It should not be too tight. Yourtwo fingers should fit between the animal’s neck and the collar or the link.
Also, it should not be too loose. Check that the tie is tight enough so that the collar cannot pass too easily around the head of the cat.
The best thing, once the bezel is installed, is not to touch it anymore. Its size and shape are adapted so that the animal can continue to eat and drink normally.
Cat Spay Recovery: Can My Cat Lick Himself After Being Neutered?
Just as it happens for dogs after surgery, cats will also tend to lick, scratch or nibble the wound. But it is strictly forbidden. This behavior must be avoided in any way. Because as we said before, it could increase the risk of contracting dangerous infections.
This can increase the area of a wound, remove stitches, and significantly increase healing time. Even it can infect the area and lead to more serious complications. It is important to note that saliva has no healing properties. And licking a wound is not good for the evolution of it.
The tongue of a cat is very rough. And when it licks a wound, it removes all the scar granulation tissue that allows healing to take place.
Therefore, make the cat wear a special cone or collar specifically for cats.
The collar could annoy the cat during meals. When we feed the cat, it is, therefore, advisable to remove it. Be careful; however, do not let yourself be softened for the rest of the day and especially during the night. Let him wear it, and she will get used to it in a very short time.
Some cats just can’t stand the collar. In this case, your vet may recommend alternatives such as a post-surgery body or t-shirt. These can keep the wound clean and safe.
Conclusion
The sterilization in cats is always a very important decision regarding their quality of life. Cat spay recovery time may vary depending on the capacity of the cat. But more or less, it needs the same kinds of treatment, care, and attention. All the steps, including using a cone, is equally important.So, if you are confused about how long to keep cone on cat after spaying, go through the article again and follow.
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